Current Oakton High School (in Virginia) head football coach Mel Morgan has a unique relationship with Burke (Va.) Lake Braddock three-star tight end and Michigan commit Matt Hibner, in that he has coached both with him and against him.
Morgan coached at Lake Braddock when Hibner was a freshman in 2016, before spending two years as the head man at nearby W.T. Woodson (a 14-minute drive from Burke) and now finally at Oakton.
“We brought up several freshmen who did some scout team stuff for us at Lake Braddock at the end of 2016, and Matt was one of them,” Morgan recalled.
“Some of the JV kids had left to go try out for winter sports, and we offset that with a new group of freshmen. Our head coach actually then got let go at the end of the year, so I left for W.T. Woodson and wound up playing against Matt during both his sophomore and junior seasons.
“I’m now outside the district at Oakton, but we’re actually going to play Lake Braddock again next season. Matt was also in my class last year — I was teaching at Lake Braddock but coaching at Woodson at the same time.
“I’ve gotten to know him pretty well as a result, and he’s the kind of kid who calms others his age down — the voice of reason, if you will.
“Matt is a great student and a very respectful kid, and doesn’t necessarily hang out with a bunch of derelicts but is usually the one sorting out the situation when things get a little rambunctious — they all respect him for it.”
His commitment came as a bit of a surprise to Michigan fans on June 9, making him somewhat of an unknown as a result.
Morgan explained what kind of player Hibner is on the field, and what the role of the tight end is in that region of Virginia.
